West Linn’s Payton Pritchard just turned 16, and his baby face says as much. But inside the Lions’ sophomore is a burning fire that takes a back seat to few when it comes to competition.

Lions coach Eric Viuhkola has plenty of stories that illustrate Pritchard’s unquenchable thirst for competition. The combination of his determination and undeniable talent led Pritchard to become the 2014 Class 6A boys basketball player of the year.

During the season, it’s not uncommon for Pritchard to have three or four basketball workouts, starting with an hour in West Linn’s gym before classes start. Viuhkola’s favorite story regarding Pritchard’s drive comes from his freshman season, when during the middle of practice, Pritchard asked if he could run down to the locker room to re-tape his hand.

Viuhkola said sure, but he wondered why Pritchard’s hand was taped. Viuhkola later asks Pritchard, and with a sly smile, the freshman says his hand was cut from dribbling too much.

A week later, Viuhkola runs into Pritchard’s father Terry and asks about his hand. Turns out Terry had recently bought Payton a weighted basketball, a ball used for training purposes. Pritchard would wake up to an alarm at 5:30 a.m., then dribble the ball for 45 minutes.

“He dribbled it so hard it so hard for three or four weeks, his hands would bleed,” Viuhkola said.

Pritchard plays AAU basketball for a team coached by Terry, a former University of Oklahoma tight end. Viuhkola says he often hears from outsiders that Pritchard’s parents are pushing him in basketball. Then he laughs.

“If anything, his dad is usually telling him to take some time off. I know Payton, and he wants it more than anyone I’ve ever been around. He loves (basketball). He truly loves it,” Viuhkola said.

Pritchard figures to be Oregon’s hottest college basketball recruit since Terrence Jones in 2010. The Lions sophomore already has an offer from Oregon State, and many prominent schools are looking at Pritchard, including Wisconsin, Virginia and Ohio State.

Viuhkola said the big jump for Pritchard between his freshman and sophomore seasons was athleticism and an increased role. Pritchard told Viuhkola last spring that “he wanted to prove to people that he was the best player on the court.”

Pritchard did just that during the 2013-14 season, as he shot about 50 percent from the floor, 40 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line.

What’s next for Pritchard, as he attempts to become one of the state’s best player of all time? Viuhkola said it’s easy: work to make his teammates better.

“Instead having that mindset of not letting anyone get an edge on him, I want him to encourage guys to be there with him at 7 a.m. That’s the definition of a great player, the ones who can make everyone better,” Viuhkola said.

Pritchard may have company, regardless. His younger sister, Lexie, is a standout player and becomes a freshman at West Linn next year. Lions’ girls basketball coach Lisa Griffith is the Pritchards' aunt.